Eleventh Grade Social
by aussiesheila47
Summary: Inspired by true life! The Eleventh Grade Combined Schools Social between East Boys' College and East Girls' College is coming up, and everyone is looking forward to it. Well, except maybe Ms Darbus. But that's not important.
1. Chapter 1

**Eleventh Grade Social**

**Chapter #1: The Meet'n'Greet, with complimentary embarrassment**

**Disclaimer: Congratulate me. I've just won the rights to HSM in a chook raffle! NOT.**

**A.N: I have succumbed. I have joined the Dark Side. (Their cookies are delicious, by the way.) I have written an AU HSM fic. Usually I'm rather reserved about these things. But now I've written one. Those are **_**awesome**_** cookies.**

_At the high school dance  
__Where you can find romance  
__Maybe, it might be love!  
_'_**We Go Together' – Grease**_

In a certain town in a certain sunny part of the United States of America, there lived a rather privileged pair of twins. Though Ryan and Sharpay Evans shared an interest in acting, they did lead semi-disparate lives. You see, they went to different schools. Ryan attended East Boys' College, while Sharpay attended East Girls' College. On the other hand, the two schools happened to be side by side, which is a fact that will be important later in this tale.

Ryan, it was often said at EBC, didn't appear to fit in with the boys he hung out with. He was in the drama club, and secured all the lead roles, while his friends were all on the uber-masculine basket-ball team. Then again, it wasn't exactly common knowledge that Ryan was instructing Chad Danforth in dancing. Chad wasn't the only one with a secret, either. Jason Cross was a flautist. Zeke Baylor worked part-time in a patisserie, not a sports store. And what about EBC's golden boy, Troy Bolton? Well, he was actually fairly good at singing.

Even Troy's parents didn't know, and they lived in the same house as he did.

Sharpay had her own circle of friends, but unlike the boys, they didn't hide their talents. Sharpay, like her brother, had a dream of being a star on Broadway, but she also got really into fund-raising for the local animal shelter. Taylor McKessie was a brainiac, but she was also a talented sketcher. Kelsi Nielsen composed music in her spare time. Martha Cox was arguably the best dancer in the school. And EGC's next dux, Gabriella Montez? She was also a singer.

All ten were in eleventh grade, and as such the Combined Schools Social was coming up in exactly a week. Ryan's friends were freaking out about what on earth they ought to wear to such an occasion. (Basketball after-party experiences seemed to count for nought.) Sharpay and her friends, on the other hand, had all bought their dresses, shoes and bags over a month ago. As there was a week until the dance itself, the faculties of the two schools decided that they would hold a barbecue, a sort-of taste of what was to come. It was held at EBC, since they had the bigger campus. All the eleventh-grade girls moseyed over, and the gym was filled with the guys and girls.

"Why do they all look the same?" Jason asked Troy quietly as they queued up for hotdogs.

"It's the uniforms," Troy replied. And he had a point. As private schools, EBC and EGC had uniforms, and they weren't designed to flatter. EBC boys had to wear beige trousers, white shirts and red ties. EGC girls had to wear navy-blue skirts, white blouses and red ties with the school crest embroidered in beige thread not only on the tie, but on the blouse breast-pocket as well. All in all, not very sexy.

Inevitably, Ryan and Sharpay merged their friendship groups. Then they both flitted off to find their drama buddies.

"Well, this isn't awkward at all," commented Zeke, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Let's introduce ourselves," Troy suggested. "I'm Troy Bolton."

"Martha Cox," said Martha.

"Jason Cross," said Jason.

"Taylor McKessie," said Taylor.

"Zeke Baylor," said Zeke.

"Gabriella Montez," said Gabi.

"Chad Danforth," said Chad.

"Kelsi Nielsen," said Kelsi.

Silence fell again, and they stood around, avoiding each others' eyes, until Chad suggested moving to a bleacher to sit down. Which they did quite promptly, and a tentative enquiry from Jason brought out the information that Kelsi and Gabi were quite musical. So Jason, to the amusement/bemusement of his friends, started to discuss scales with them. Chad, following his friend's lead, discovered that Taylor had an older brother who was a Lakers fanatic, but Taylor herself had never understood the game. So Chad took it upon himself to explain it to her. Martha and Zeke found a common interest in hip-hop, while Troy stood next to Jason and looked self-conscious.

When Jason and Kelsi's conversation turned to five-eighths, Gabi took it upon herself to relieve poor Troy, and they discussed Batman for the next forty-five minutes. Yes, Batman.

"I have Batman boxers," Troy told her, just as Ryan returned to the group.

"Well, that was the wrong moment to come in on," Ryan commented. Troy turned fire-truck red.

It then emerged (or rather, it was blared over the loud-system) that there was going to be entertainment provided by a duet between two students – one girl and one boy. And the choice of boy and girl would be random.

"Oh, dear," Troy muttered under his breath. What had possessed the faculty to do that? Now they couldn't be sure it wouldn't be Ryan. It could be anyone. It could be _Troy_, for Pete's sake. This was not good.

"Oh dear," Gabi muttered under her breath. What had possessed the faculty to do that? Now they couldn't be sure it wouldn't be Sharpay. It could be anyone. It could be _Gabi_, for goodness sakes. Gabi couldn't get up in front of 250 people and sing!

Predictably, Gabi's and Troy's names were the ones that were drawn from Ryan's hat. Chad didn't help matters much by sniggering as they made their way over to the microphones.

"_Never knew I could feel like this/Like I've never seen the sky before/Want to vanish inside your kiss/Every day I love you more and more/Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings/Telling me to give you everything/Seasons may change, winter to spring/But I love you until the end of time_," sang Troy. "_Come what may/Come what may/I will love you until my dying day_."

Gabi noticed that she felt nauseous, and slightly dizzy. Breathe, Gabi, she told herself. She felt normal again as soon as she stopped hyperventilating. She took a deep breath and dived.

"_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_," she sang. "_Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace_."

"_Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste_," they sang together.

"_It all revolves around you_," sang Gabi. She smiled. This wasn't so bad. It wasn't as though it was a total solo.

"_And there's no mountain too high/No river too wide_," they sang. "Sing _out this song and I'll be there by your side/Storm clouds may gather/And stars may collide_ –"

"_But I'll love you_," sang Troy.

"_I'll love you_," Gabi echoed.

"_Until the end of time_," they sang together. "Come _what may/Come what may/I will love you until my dying day/Oh, come what may, come what may/I will love you –_"

"_Oh I will love you_," Gabi sang. "_Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place_."

"_Come what may/Come what may/I will love you until my dying day_," they finished on a crescendo. The stunned gym was silent for a moment – but only a moment. Within two seconds they were on their feet, stamping, clapping, cheering, whistling, and whatever else humans do to show that they enjoyed a show.

The next fifteen minutes passed in a blur for Gabi. Later, she dimly recalled Sharpay coming up to her, squealing with delight that she'd found her replacement understudy. (Oh joy, oh rapture.) As the girls made their way back to their campus, Taylor and Martha acted as bodyguards for Gabi, since there were many girls who now wanted her to be their friend. Was there something about Troy? Speaking of whom, inexplicably, Troy's name, photo and number ended up in her phone, and hers must have ended up in his because he texted her that night, saying that maybe they could meet at the social?

"And the best part," Gabi told Kelsi as they bussed home that afternoon, "is that I didn't even faint!"

**A.N: Next chapter: Troy and Gabi become joined at the hip, and Gabi somehow doesn't notice.**

**The song Troy and Gabi sing is called 'Come What May.' It's from the **_**Moulin Rouge**_** soundtrack, and I chose it because it's the only duet I know that isn't from an opera.**

**Random fact: You know, I have a personal gripe about Gabriella's nicknames. Who calls a person 'Brie'? Brie is a cheese. Last time I checked, neither Gabriella nor Vanessa Anne Hudgens was yellow and gooey. So she's 'Gabi' in all my stories. I also must warn you that I don't spell things in the American way – mom, honor, G.L.A.M.O.R.O.U.S, et cetera. Just so you know. **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Eleventh Grade Social**

**Chapter #2: Sharpay's Pre**

**Disclaimer: Congratulate me. I've just won the rights to HSM in a chook raffle! NOT.**

**A.N: I have succumbed. I have joined the Dark Side. (Their cookies are delicious, by the way.) I have written an AU HSM fic. Usually I'm rather reserved about these things. But now I've written one. Those are **_**awesome**_** cookies.**

_At the high school dance  
__Where you can find romance  
__Maybe, it might be love!  
_'_**We Go Together' – Grease**_

Gabi woke up at 9:00 on the Saturday of the social, feeling pleasantly refreshed. The night before, she'd gone to see _The Dark Knight_ with Taylor for the umpteenth time. Now, she had a day of relaxation and self-pampering to look forward to. Homework and assignments, for once, could wait until tomorrow. Gabi took a quick shower, just long enough to shave her legs and underarms, and wash her hair. Then she ran a bath, and poured aromatherapy oils into it – she was going to smell like lavender and chocolate.

No matter that they were her two favourite scents in the entire world. Of course. And there was no way she wanted to smell nice for Troy. None whatsoever. At all. Don't listen to Taylor, all right? She'd be lying to you. Gabi just wanted to smell nice because she liked to smell nice. Duh.

_Anyway_. She clambered out of the bath only when the water turned cold. It was now 11:00. If this seems late to you, please remember that she had also had breakfast and talked to her mother before she started her beautifying routine. Since it was late June, it was perfectly all right to wander around the house in shorts and a t-shirt, only Gabi didn't own any button-up shirts – except school blouses – that had short sleeves. So she wore her denim miniskirt – _ooh, if Troy could see her in that – shut up, Taylor_ – and a cream-coloured silk blouse with three-quarter sleeves that she usually wore when she went to see Sharpay act. Having forgotten to arrange an appointment for professional hair, nails and make-up, Gabi had to do it all herself. (Sharpay and Taylor would have killed her, had they known.) Gabi did her fingernails now, filing them all back to a uniform length, while admiring the patchwork elephants floating past her window.

No, not really. Just wanted to make sure you were paying attention. Actually she was singing along to the radio.

Once her nails were all the same length, Gabi pushed the cuticles back, painted over the tips in white, to define them, and then she went over the entire nail in pale, watery pink. Two coats of clear varnish sealed the deal, and she went on to do her toenails in practically the same way. She had to get rid of the red polish, first, but when that was done she clipped them all back – she didn't want to scratch herself with them, you see, as her shoes were fairly toe-confining – then went over them with the pale pink. Instead of two coats of clear varnish on top, the first coat was clear but sparkly, and the very top coat was clear. Making sure that nothing got mussed up was time- consuming – or rather, correcting the mussed-up nails was time consuming, so it was lunch-time when Gabi finished.

After lunch, she took off her skirt and blouse, and put on her dress instead. Gabi adored her dress. It was a snowy-white, with sky-blue spaghetti straps and lacy hem. It contrasted well with her café au lait skin, and the neckline wasn't drastic (like Sharpay's cotton-candy-pink confection), and nor was the backline (like Taylor's bright red flapper dress). It was just … nice. And Gabi felt really pretty in it, which was the whole point. Plus, she thought as she checked herself out in her bedroom mirror, the hem fell to mid-thigh, effectively showing off her bronzed legs. Sharpay would kill for a tan like Gabi's.

The next thing on Gabi's to-do list was her make-up. Gabi knew that her best features were her chocolate-y eyes, so she outlined them in subtle kohl, and, daringly, applied false eye-lashes. Luckily she managed not to look like Olive Oil from _Popeye_, which was a relief. Martha had tried them once, and for Martha the falsies had decided not to work, poor girl. On the other hand, they _had _fallen out within a week. Gabi blinked and winked at herself for a few minutes, enjoying the effect. – _Would Troy melt, or what? – I said shut up, Taylor._ – Foundation, concealer, and a hint of blush were applied next. Gabi enjoyed making her freckles vanish. Next came peach lipstick, which completed her make-up. Finally, and gingerly, Gabi attacked her hair with a curling wand, giving herself Shirley Temple ringlets. Well, she had to do _something_ to counteract her daring (for Gabi, at least) hemline, didn't she?

Gabi opened her wardrobe and looked at her shoe-rack. There were her open-toed heels, four inches high, pale blue and glittery. How lucky was she that she had managed to find a clutch to match? Which sent a reminder through her head like a fire alarm – she needed to pack said bag. Cell phone, check. Wallet, check. Lipstick, check. Breath-mints, check. She was all set.

In bare feet, but carrying her shoes and her clutch, Gabi went downstairs. Predictably, Isabella Montez, Gabi's mother, went crazy with the camera. Gabi was photographed in front of the piano, beside it, on the piano bench, in front of the fireplace, on the couch, in front of the hall table, on the threshold of the front door, coming down the front steps, getting into the car …

… and getting out of the car at Sharpay's house for the pre.

"Mami, I'm going to need at least some memory on that camera for at the actual dance, you know," Gabi giggled as they walked up the Evans's front steps.

Sharpay was standing in the ballroom, by the bar, in hot pink (how predictable). She looked stunning. The dress was strapless, with a ra-ra miniskirt, but –

"Are those real diamonds?" Gabi demanded, pointing at Sharpay's choker and stud earrings.

Sharpay grinned and nodded. "Ohmigod, your hair! Gabi, you look fantastic!"

Which was basically all that conversation consisted of, anytime someone new entered the room. Everyone already there had to admire her dress, shoes, make-up, hair, and bag, and she had to admire the dresses, etc, of everyone already there. Sharpay had invited quite a large number of people, so this process ended up taking nearly half an hour once nearly everyone had arrived.

Martha and Kelsi stood by the buffet, carefully eating Doritos – they didn't want to mess up their mouth-make-up. Gabi and Taylor continued their dissection of _The Dark Knight_, while Sharpay flitted around, talking to her study buddies and her drama friends in equal measure. Her parents scurried around taking photos. Sharpay had gone all out with this pre. The Top 20 blared from an expensive speaker system. There was even a bar-tender at the bar in the corner of the room. He was only serving Coke and other sodas, but still.

"Is it a bad thing that my heels are killing my feet already?" Kelsi muttered to Martha.

"Probably not," Martha told her, feeling quite smug. She was used to heels, being a dancer. Kelsi, Martha felt, ought to have been used to heels, because she was so tiny, but Kelsi wasn't a slave of fashion like … oh, let's say Sharpay. Kelsi's chocolate-brown empire-line cocktail dress wasn't haute couture, in fact it was she'd found it in an op-shop, but it suited her. Not that she'd found it in an op-shop, the cut of it flattered her. Martha, being no skinny little pixie, had had rather a job of it trying to find a dress. She'd ended up with a cream-coloured shift-dress that hid her thighs.

"Where's Ryan?" Taylor asked a passing Sharpay.

"One of his friends is also holding a pre," Sharpay answered. "I think it's the one with frizzy hair – Chad, I think his name is."

"Oh," said Taylor.

Gabi made a mental note to ask Sharpay on Monday if it bothered her that her brother would rather go to his friend's pre than hers. On the other hand, she thought, she couldn't blame him; in this room of girls Ryan Evans would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

Since the dance was scheduled to start at 7:30, people started to leave – carpool, as a matter of fact – at 7:00. Gabi, Taylor, Kelsi and Martha all, miraculously, ended up in Sharpay's mother's Merc, so, considering they never lost each other, there was no mad rush to find each other in the throng of their classmates.

Lava Springs Golf Course had a function centre, and that was where the social was being held. But first, everyone had to mingle on the terrace.

"They must be still setting up," Ryan told the girls as he dragged his friends over.

They arranged themselves in a circle, except the shape made was barely worthy of being called such. Taylor was standing on one side of Gabi, Troy on the other. Taylor elbowed her. "Say hi," she hissed.

**A.N: OK, so not the actual dance just yet, but that would have made the chapter ridiculously long. Next chapter, the **_**actual**_** dance. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Eleventh Grade Social**

**Chapter #3: Dancing The Night Away**

**Disclaimer: Congratulate me. I've just won the rights to HSM in a chook raffle! NOT.**

**A.N: I have succumbed. I have joined the Dark Side. (Their cookies are delicious, by the way.) I have written an AU HSM fic. Usually I'm rather reserved about these things. But now I've written one. Those are **_**awesome**_** cookies.**

_At the high school dance  
__Where you can find romance  
__Maybe, it might be love!  
_'_**We Go Together' – Grease**_

"Have you seen your brother?" a frazzled Ms Darbus asked Sharpay a while later. "He's supposed to be inside already; he's the DJ."

The party-princess façade dropped for a minute and Gabi knew she didn't have to ask if Sharpay was bothered about Ryan. "He never told me he was going to be the DJ," Sharpay said, frowning slightly.

"Well, if you see him, tell him to go in, would you?" Ms Darbus stalked off, looking at the bling-y high-heels of various girls with obvious distaste. Well, she was the drama teacher at EGC. She was meant to have an eye for detail.

Meanwhile, back in the circle, Gabi and Taylor were hard-pressed not to giggle. What was the deal with boys? On finding that there were five boys to ten girls (Sharpay had dragged some of her drama buddies over) Troy and Chad had had the bright idea of making a game of, whichever gender had the highest tally at the time that the doors opened, would win. Oddly, the prize was never specified.

"Aw, crap," said Martha ten minutes later. "Now we're out-numbered." True enough; the entire basketball team of EBC was standing around just Martha, Kelsi, Taylor and Gabi.

When numbers evened themselves out again, Troy hit on the even more brilliant idea of making the circle boy-girl-boy-girl, since Martha and Kelsi were standing right next to each other, looking like deer caught in headlights since they were surrounded by extremely tall guys (especially petite little Kelsi) and Zeke and Jason were just standing there.

"You two look like stunned mullets. Talk," commanded vice-captain Chad. Jason continued to talk to Kelsi about classical music, while Chad repeated his strictures on basketball to Taylor, helped out by Zeke. Troy and Gabi discussed _Batman_ again.

Finally the doors opened, and the crowd surged towards them. Troy, Chad and Jason immediately commandeered one of the pool tables on the other side, Taylor, Gabi and Kelsi hanging in the background. Oh, wait, Taylor had a few shots. Gabi and Kelsi not so much. Zeke and Martha were the first on the dance floor, soon joined by Sharpay.

Once all the balls had been sunk (if that's the correct terminology) Troy turned to Gabi. "Wanna dance?"

It was like everything else shut down and disappeared. The music, other people's conversation, everyone else in the room. All gone. All there was, was Troy standing there in front of her, looking hopeful.

"Sure," Gabi smiled, and handed her bag to Kelsi.

Unfortunately for Gabi's feet, Ryan was only playing house music, and mixes of pop music. This meant that that the mass of dancers were really only, well, bouncers – or boppers. Whichever. Maybe moshers … anyway, jumping in heels is never a good idea and Gabi had already seen one girl limp to the bathroom with a bloody toe, though whether it was a stab from a stiletto heel or just silly, too-tight shoes she didn't know. It looked painful enough.

Kelsi and Sharpay made their way to the bathroom when their own shoes became too much for them. An unlikely pair they made, but shoe-induced pain makes all girls equal. "I love this bathroom," Sharpay commented as they flumped onto the delicately-upholstered sofa in one corner. "It's so pretty." It certainly was better-decorated than the ladies' room at the average shopping mall. Everything was cream marble, blonde wood and white stucco. The mirrors above the sinks were intricately carved, and the plastic soap bottles were elegantly painted with pale pink roses. A stream of girls flowed in, complaining about the pain in their feet, leaving when they felt up to bouncing in heels again.

"This is what they guys don't see," Kelsi commented to Sharpay, who nodded.

Up on the dance floor (the bathrooms were on the floor below the function room), Taylor was beginning to frown. A familiar tune was beginning to blare out over the speakers, under Ryan's current bass beat. As soon as Taylor was assured that, no, she wasn't going crazy, Ryan Evans was indeed mixing this particular song, she stalked off the dance floor as fast as she could, not being used to high heels, and went to sit on the terrace. Chad followed her.

"What's the problem?" he asked. "Why did you leave so suddenly?"

"He was mixing _Living On A Prayer_," Taylor spat. "You just don't _do_ that!"

"You're a rock chick?" Chad queried, eyebrows raised. "I wouldn't have picked it."

"Actually, I'm into death metal," Taylor told him frankly. "I can see you're surprised."

"Well, yeah," Chad admitted. "You don't exactly look like a Goth. On the other hand, I probably shouldn't judge you. Don't tell Zeke, but I actually prefer country music to hip hop."

It was Taylor's turn to raise her eyebrows. "Come here." She drew Chad into a corner and offered him an earphone. For the duration of the travesty of _Living On A Prayer_, they listened to _Dear God _by Avenged Sevenfold, which is a song that sounds country-ish but is by a heavy metal band.

Back inside, the moshers were punching the air and yelling along. "Whoa-oh, we're halfway there," Troy bellowed at Zeke.

"Whoa-oh, living on a prayer," Zeke bellowed back.

"Take my hand, we'll make it I swear," Martha sang to Gabi.

"Whoa-oh, living on a prayer," Gabi sang back. At that point, some random guy came up to her and started dancing right in front of her. Troy shoved him away.

"Piss off," added Martha for good measure.

The rest of the night passed in varying degrees of speed for various people. Taylor and Chad listening to Taylor's iPod on the far end of the terrace, talking about guitar riffs and basketball, only coming back in when someone started to zip around, telling people the final song was about to be played. Sharpay, Martha, Gabi, Troy and Zeke danced in a group to Ryan's music. Poor Kelsi had developed a headache from the bass that was pumping so hard that the ceiling of the bathroom was reverberating, so she sat on a bench outside the ladies' room, staring out a window into the carpark and watching boys and girls walk past her to get to their respective bathrooms, and back to the stairs that led to the dance-floor.

The glass was semi-reflective, and one boy came out of men's room, adjusting his collar around the neck of his vest. "Do I look presentable?" he shot at Kelsi.

Kelso looked around. Oh, he was talking to _her_. "Oh – uh, you look fine," she answered.

The guy grinned. "Thanks," he said, and dashed up the stairs.

The next person to walk past Kelsi was Ms Darbus, who was holding a bottle of antiseptic fluid and a roll of bandages. "Are you all right, Ms Nielsen?" she asked.

"I have a headache," Kelsi admitted.

"Let me tend to –" Ms Darbus named a girl Kelsi didn't know, "– she's just sprained her ankle, and then I'll give you an aspirin."

"Thank you, Ms Darbus," Kelsi muttered.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, the aspirin kicked in just in time for Kelsi to brave the dance floor, join her friends and dance to the final song – _Love Generation_ by Bob Sinclar. The dance floor hadn't expanded during the course of the night so, with virtually all the eleventh graders on it, it currently resembled an extremely large mosh-pit.

The song ended, and everyone applauded. Ryan stepped out from behind the DJ booth and took a bow; even the teachers were clapping. The gang held back, avoiding the mass exodus onto the terrace. Only when the teachers began to chivvy them out did they head towards the exit.

For all that most people had gone out onto the terrace five minutes ago, it was still utter pandemonium. People were running around, finding people to say goodbye to or finding their places in last-minute photos. It seemed like virtually no one had left yet, which was a shame considering the traffic jam of a car-park, emitting harmful greenhouse gases like nobody's business.

Sharpay took out her own camera, and persuaded a passing acquaintance to take a photo of the whole group. "I'll email it to you all," she promised.

The group began to disperse, but Taylor and Martha held Troy and Gabi back. "We wanna take photos of you," Martha explained. Troy put his arm around Gabi's shoulder and she leaned into him. They smiled and squinted in the flash, then _finally_ they were all good to go.

"That marks how many photos of the two of you tonight?" Kelsi asked as they piled into Taylor's mother's SUV. (Taylor was holding a sleepover for the five of them that night.)

"Uh…," Gabi replied intelligently as she tried to count. "More than twenty, if you include the professional photo."

"Was it that pose all the time? You know, with his arm around you?" Sharpay probed.

"Yeah," Gabi admitted.

"How did he say goodbye to you?" Martha queried.

Gabi blushed. "He kissed me on the cheek."

"One, two, three," said Taylor.

"Aww!" chorused the girls.

**A.N: Based on true events! Gabi's experience wasn't my own, but my friend's. This includes the many, many photos. (I have one on my phone, and they are **_**very**_** cute together.) And she'll never know about this story, because the only part of Disney she likes is Kingdom Hearts. Anyway, another friend had a headache, and as I sat with her some random boy came out of the bathroom and asked us if he looked presentable. The DJ – not a student, but a professional one – did mix **_**Living On A Prayer**_**, but although my headache-friend and I were offended, we stayed and danced. As regards shoes, one girl in my Maths class actually broke a toe from being trodden on. My own shoes pinched a bit, and they weren't even stilettos.**

**The next chapter of this will be the final one, but I would really love some reviews before I put it up, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Eleventh Grade Social**

**Chapter 4: Happily Ever After**

**Disclaimer: Congratulate me. I've just won the rights to HSM in a chook raffle! NOT.**

**A.N: I have succumbed. I have joined the Dark Side. (Their cookies are delicious, by the way.) I have written an AU HSM fic. Usually I'm rather reserved about these things. But now I've written one. Those are **_**awesome**_** cookies.**

_At the high school dance  
__Where you can find romance  
__Maybe, it might be love!  
_'_**We Go Together' – Grease**_

Gabi and Troy went on a date the weekend after the social, at the mall. He did everything a boy is supposed to - helped her with her coat, paid for the popcorn (she wouldn't let him pay for her ticket to _The Dark Knight_) and let her choose where they went for dinner afterwards, a sushi bar. They went for sticker photos, and he drew little red hearts around the one where she was kissing his cheek. They caught separate buses home, since they didn't live anywhere near each other, and Gabi went to sleep that night with a big cheesy grin.

Of course on the Monday, all of Gabi's friends pressed her for details, and so she accordingly gave them the dossier above. Gabi and Troy chatted a few times via SMS and MSN, but then Gabi fell ill. Really ill. Like Marianne in _Sense and Sensibility_, or Beth in _Little Women_. Except she was in no danger of dying, just extreme discomfort due to an inflammation of her bronchial tract. Not only did she fall out of contact with Troy (since she couldn't get up out of bed to check her emails or her cell phone) but she also missed most of the end-of-term assessment. Understandably, by the time she got back to school, she was rather peeved off.

"So have you heard from Troy lately?" Martha asked her one day at lunch.

"Nope," Gabi shrugged.

"Aw, that's too bad," Taylor commented.

Gabi shrugged again. "To be honest, I'm not that fussed. I mean, how many people meet their soul mates in high school? If it was meant to be, we both would have tried harder to keep in contact, even when I got sick."

Gabi could tell from the disbelieving frowns on her friends' faces that her reasoning didn't seem sound to them, but that wasn't her fault.

A few months later, when the gang were all in twelfth grade, Kelsi was walking to the mall, which wasn't too far away from EGC, to get to her bus. An EBC boy was walking in front of her. When they stopped at a set of lights she took a good look at his face, and was startled to find that it was the one, the only Troy Bolton. Since Gabi didn't seem to want to talk about Troy, Kelsi decided not to mention it to her.

And a few months after _that_, Gabi moved house, because the company her mother worked for had moved to a new office. Accordingly, she had to catch a different bus. She boarded one Thursday after Scholastic Decathalon practice and noticed the EBC boy lounging in the back seat, who, according to the uniform rules, ought to have changed out of his basketball singlet and shorts before leaving campus. He was sitting in one corner, so she moved to sit in the other one, but as she hauled her schoolbag onto the seat he spoke to her.

"Gabi? What are you doing here?"

It was Troy. It emerged that this was his usual bus, but he didn't usually take it on Thursdays since, as his father was basketball coach, he usually drove him home. However tonight there was a teachers' meeting so Troy was catching the the bus. Obviously. He laughed nervously. Gabi explained about moving house, and _then_ it emerged that the two of them got off at the same stop. In fact they now lived on the same street, conveniently enough. They made a plan to meet at the local park on Friday afternoon.

If it's meant to be, it will be. At least in fiction.

**A.N: Sorry for the wait. This story was flamed, which shattered my confidence in it. Then _jelsi4life_** **restored my faith in it (many thanks), but then I just lost interest. However, I'm doing clean-up on my account at the moment and thought I might as well finish this, considering I knew where I wanted to take it. Unfortunately my real-life Troy and Gabi really have fallen out of contact, which is a terrible shame considering that I think he really fancied her, but what can you do? At any rate, reviews are always appreciated.**


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